During the first few years of serving in the war as a nurse, I spent a lot of time in Sicily. On Sep. 2, 1941, I was serving in the Canadian No. 5 General Hospital in Cantainia, Sicily and an anti aircraft shell suddenly fell on the hospital. At that time I was helping a man by the name of John Kernel put his leg into supporting bandages after a bullet hit his calf. When the bomb hit, I luckily just finished bandaging the man and he was ready to move. Kernel was awarded with honors before for being a man with accurate shots and had quick endurance. When the bomb hit, I only had to help grab his cane and he was already limping out the room as fast as a man without an injury and helping me evacuate at the same time. Luckily after that horrifying accident, the patients survived and only 11 other nurses and I had some minor injuries.
The Japanese weren’t only violent, they were cruel and “monsters.” I had a patient by the name of Brian Mullen, he was a British officer that was well respected by the Canadians and British men. He was sent with other Canadian troops to defend Hong Kong from the enemy attacks and captured by the Japanese also. Mullen had heart conditions and being in such hostile conditions provided by the Japanese, his health was getting worse each day. Officer Mullen needed to take his heart pills twice per day in order to survive but one day, a Japanese commander by the name of Kanji Mutso was in a “bad mood” and killed Officer Mullen with a bayonet just for an attempt to get a drink of water in order to swallow his pill. The young officer that would have a future full of glory died right in front of my eyes just because of an innocent practice that everyone would do, but unluckily chose the wrong time. Do you remember about the people that you might have helped during the war? During such an intense battle like this one, it would be hard to be selfless and assist those who were in need, but I'm sure there must have been someone you felt deserved your help and would probably assist you in your times of trouble also!
Wow, what a tragic end to a young soldier. I'll make sure to keep him in my prayers tonight. The Battle of the Atlantic was quite hectic. Since women were not allowed to serve on board, I was able to work in cooperation with Captain Sawyer and I would help him communicate with other ships, which was crucial in a battle that would end up lasting from the beginning of the war until May 1945. It might not have seemed like much back in the day, but it did help us in our victory over the German U-boats. A proud moment indeed!
ReplyDeleteI did not have the luxury to stop and help someone in trouble during my operations. Stopping to help someone would have drastically increased the chances of me being seen and captured. If that happened, I would mostly likely have been interrogated, forced to give up precious information, tortured and eventually killed. So, I must admit that I am quite envious of you. All I ever did during my missions was end lives. I never knew nurses were such a vital part of the war effort. I had heard stories before, but I had never really believed that nurses were so important. I now know that truly, many more would have surely perished without people like yourself.
ReplyDeleteIt is extremely unfortunate that you were sent to Hong Kong. I once requested to go there myself to organize contacts and rendezvous points for other agents and soldiers. My superiors responded by telling me that a Japanese invasion was imminent and that going now would be suicide. I cannot fathom why they would have sent troops regardless of knowing this information. I suppose it was political.
The thing that shocked me the absolute most though was that you're still alive. Although you probably already know this yourself, that is truly amazing. I had been trained almost all my life with the assurance that if you were captured, you were dead. The two terms were practically synonymous. Perhaps if I had known of this before hand, I would have become a nurse instead! Your chances of surviving seem much higher than mine were and your work was much more fulfilling and moral. Yet another regret to add to my "list".
You were in Hong Kong when the Japanese invaded! I offer my condolances, for I know they did terrible, terrible things in Japan to the soldier and the nurses. I am very happy you survived. Not only that, but helped lots of of soldiers who I am sure are in debt to your kindness and bravery. I never had a chance to help people like that, for I was never a nurse, or on a battle field or ships like Wren M-L. I drove ambulances around London and helped dig people out of the rubble when England was bombed. However, I did see many many nurses helping the wounded and sick, doing their best under enourmous amounts of pressure. We are all in debt to your services to the War Effort.
ReplyDeleteWhat a blessing it is that you survived your experience in Hong Kong. For most, it was sure death with no chance at survival. Thank God everyday for watching over you and your fellow nurses.
ReplyDeleteI was never directly involved in the battles of the war; in fact, I was hundreds of miles away from them. However, we Canadian woman factory workers helped out in our own way. I worked alongside my best friend Margaret, as well as thousands of other Canadian women, to make the Bren guns for our men to use in battle. I wish I could say that I was there to take care of an injured soldier or to do something brave, but that just wasn’t the nature of my job. I respect all of you for your noble efforts in the war.
The war in Hong Kong was a devastating one. Canadians should have never been sent to Hong Kong to battle Japanese soldiers in the first place. I give my full condolences to you since the things Japanese soldiers did was horrible. I am glad you survived!
ReplyDeleteI helped many soldiers in the war effort since my main responsibly was to train enlisted soldiers to become part of the Royal Canadian Air Force. I taught my “students” all I knew about being a combat striker. I taught them the basic fundamentals of flying in battle and told them to be smart once called to the front lines. I cared for all my "students" and wanted them to all survive once at battle. I gave them full encouragement, told them to be careful, and to be proud to be Canadian.